Paris police have banned gatherings at sites near key government sites in a bid to end protests against France’s plan to raise the statutory retirement age by two years without a vote.
“Due to the serious threat of disturbances to public order and security … any gathering on and around the Place de la Concorde and the Avenue des Champs-Elysées is prohibited,” police said, according to an AFP report. “People who try to gather there are systematically expelled by the police.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has decided to push through the new law that would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, using Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows him to pass a law without a parliamentary vote. His decision has proved deeply unpopular, prompting nationwide protests.
Protesters rallied in cities including Bordeaux, Marseille and elsewhere to continue to call for the vote, which Macron seems unconvinced would happen.
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Demonstrators hold banners as they gather in Place de la Concorde, near the National Assembly with the Eiffel Tower in the background, to protest after French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne gave a speech condemning the use of Article 49.3, a Special clause, French constitution announced to bring pension reform law through the lower house of parliament without a vote of the legislature, in Paris, France, March 16, 2023. (Reuters/Pascal Rossignol)
Despite the Paris ban, protests continued on Saturday anyway, gathering instead in the Les Halles shopping district in central Paris, according to Politico.
A protester holds a clipping showing French President Emmanuel Macron near a fire during a demonstration at Place de la Concorde to protest the French government’s use of Article 49.3, a special clause in the French Constitution, to pass the pension reform bill at the National Assembly without a vote by the legislature in Paris, France, March 17, 2023. (Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)
More than eight in 10 people are unhappy with the government’s decision to cancel a parliamentary vote and 65% want strikes and protests to continue, according to a poll by Toluna Harris Interactive for RTL Radio.
French gendarmes and CRS riot police stand near a fire as protesters gather at Place de la Concorde near the National Assembly in Paris, France, March 16, 2023. (Reuters/Lucien Libert)
The protests have hit a number of vital industries, including refineries, refuse collection and railways, The Guardian reported.
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CGT union leader Philippe Martinez stressed that the group had made it clear to Macron that the protests would continue as long as he pursued his plan to pass the legislation.
Members of the Gendarmerie stand guard during a demonstration at Place de la Concorde in Paris, France, March 17, 2023. (Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)
“No one can say we didn’t say anything: we told him,” Martinez said, adding that “the situation was explosive.”
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The street protests were largely peaceful, but police clashed with protesters on Friday night, arresting 61 people after a fire was lit near the National Assembly. Demonstrators chanted “Macron, resign!” as they battled a line of riot police.
A protester throws a projectile amid clashes during a protest after French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne used Article 49.3, a special clause in the French constitution, to bring the pension reform bill without a vote of lawmakers by the National Assembly in Nantes, France. March 16, 2023. (Reuters/Stephane Mahe)
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Over 300 people have been arrested across the country, including 258 in the National Assembly area in recent days.
A broad coalition of France’s main unions said they would continue to try to force a reversal on the changes.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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